How does the Species at Risk Act help species recover?

Plans must be made for the recovery or management of every species listed in the Species at Risk Act (SARA). For extirpated, endangered or threatened species, there must be a recovery strategy and one or more action plan(s). For species of special concern, there must be a management plan.

SARA lays out timelines for developing recovery strategies and management plans. It also defines what must be contained in the recovery strategies, action plans and management plans. The Act recognizes the need for recovery strategies, action plans and management plans to be prepared in cooperation, as much as possible, with:

• the appropriate provincial/territorial minister(s);
• all federal ministers who have authority over the land where the species occurs;
• relevant wildlife management boards;
• Aboriginal organizations that the Minister of the Environment or the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans considers will be directly affected; and;
• any other person or organization whom the Minister of Environment or the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans considers appropriate.

Consultation with those affected

SARA also recognizes the need for consultation with others who may be affected by elements of recovery strategies, action plans and management plans, including:

• land owners and any other person or organization whom the Minister of the Environment and/or the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans considers appropriate; and
• other interested Canadians through the Web-based SARA Registry, where the public can comment on proposed strategies and plans.